Friday, June 16, 2017

Mapping the Worlds

I've just finished a more polished version of the world Map of Amassia, the series I am currently writing. It's out in 2018 with Entangled Teen. I'm thrilled to be writing Young Adult Fantasy for this publisher.

About the Map

Amassia is a time so far in the future that the continents have reformed into a single landmass. (It's predicted to happen in another 250 million years.) Here's a glimpse at my original drawing, before I learned the open source image editor, Gimp.

My worn sketch and noted for the world of Amassia

Why Maps?

We humans have been making maps for thousands of years. From cave paintings to ancient Babylon, Greece, and Asia, to the 21st century, maps are used as tools to help us understand, and explain, the known world.

It's no wonder that many fantasy authors choose to do the same, even though their worlds will only exist in their reader's imaginations.

It all started with Tolkien. The Hobbit, and the LOTR came with a map, and it's an unspoken expectation that authors of this genre will follow suit.

But for me, the longing to look at maps of imagined worlds began before LOTR was ever published, in a little book by Ruth Stiles Gannett called, My Father's Dragon. I loved hearing the story, and tracing the journey of on the little map.

Another classic map on the heels of Tolkein, Brooks, Goodkind (who apparently didn't like the idea of mapping at all), Eddings (who thought it was essential), Hobbs, Le Guin, Martin and countless other fantasy authors is the world of Harry Potter.

More recently is the Shadow Hunters, a TV version of The Mortal Instrument Series by Cassandra Clare. With this app, Mundanes can download and view an overlay of the Shadow World right on their phones.

And finally, here's the map from one of the more ingenious and mind bending story worlds from China Meiville - The City and the City. When you think about it, it't not that far from the Shadow Hunter world, where one city is superimposed over another.

9 comments:

I love maps in my Fantasy stories--I think it's all about charting the course of the journey 'tangibly', if you know what I mean. I love the idea of Amassia and the map concept you've shared: many congratulations on the book deal with Entangled Teen!

Am so glad you like the Haarth map - a fine piece of work by artist Peter Fitzpatrick, although of course I had to put together the original draft (or 'squiggles')

love, Love, LOVE maps!!!to me it makes the reading experience so much better and enjoyable.... following the travels of the characters in my minds eye while reading... there's nothing better (least in my opinion).

I am a fan of detailed maps that show all places mentioned in a book... and not just give an overview of the entire world/earth (e.g. Haarth) with the biggest cities...as it leaves me searching for those places mentioned - but I can only guess as to exactly where the characters currently are - going by the last city mentioned that is on the map.

I am also a fan of my Kindle/ebooks to take with me anywhere without breaking my back due to the weight of the physical copies that I used to take with me while travelling in the past (10 most of the time) ... but for reading maps, ebooks are not equipped (thinking about the maps of Santhenar + Mirrilladell & the Great Mountains in Ian Irving's "Well of Echoes" series... - the details are almost impossible to make out & only with the greatest effort + strain to the eyes)I could not find a 'magnify' function on the kindle (and enlarging the fond has no effect on the maps).

In which direction will the digitalization on e-reading go anyhow? will it be possible at some point in time to call up the map at any given time and get shown the characters on the map as e.g. blinking lights (and the current travel path show in dotted lines)?... I reckon time and technology will tell... ;-)

@ Kim and Helen: I am very much looking forward to both your new books.... any estimate on when I can expect them ;-)

love, Love, LOVE maps!!!to me it makes the reading experience so much better and enjoyable.... following the travels of the characters in my minds eye while reading... there's nothing better (least in my opinion).

I am a fan of detailed maps that show all places mentioned in a book... and not just give an overview of the entire world/earth (e.g. Haarth) with the biggest cities...as it leaves me searching for those places mentioned - but I can only guess as to exactly where the characters currently are - going by the last city mentioned that is on the map.

I am also a fan of my Kindle/ebooks to take with me anywhere without breaking my back due to the weight of the physical copies that I used to take with me while travelling in the past (10 most of the time) ... but for reading maps, ebooks are not equipped (thinking about the maps of Santhenar + Mirrilladell & the Great Mountains in Ian Irving's "Well of Echoes" series... - the details are almost impossible to make out & only with the greatest effort + strain to the eyes)I could not find a 'magnify' function on the kindle (and enlarging the fond has no effect on the maps).

In which direction will the digitalization on e-reading go anyhow? will it be possible at some point in time to call up the map at any given time and get shown the characters on the map as e.g. blinking lights (and the current travel path show in dotted lines)?... I reckon time and technology will tell... ;-)

@ Kim and Helen: I am very much looking forward to both your new books....any estimate on when I can expect them ;-)

I agree with you on the detailed maps. They are so much more enjoyable. I don't think I'm going to put paths on the Amassia series maps, because it would be too much of a spoiler. I will plant a flag and name every town, villa, city, sanctuary and bone thrower's cave they pass through.

I'll make sure they are on the website too, for those kindle moments when you really want to check, but can't view on the eReader.

I love your idea of the interactive eReader that will track the character's journey depending on what page you are on in the book. That's brilliant, esp for the Fantasy genre.

Many apologies for the long delay in replying to your comment--but I hope that being awa' on a writing retreat and beavering on WALL4 will count as some excuse for such incivility (to channel Elizabeth Bennett:-) ).

I love your idea of the interactive map, although i suspect it could prove quite challenging for the mapmakers. :)

With respect to "when" for WALL4, I do not have a release date yet. At present the delivery date is 1 April 2018 and publication will likely be at least 1 year after that.

... and boy! am I in for a looooong wait until your new books are out... Alan (Baxter) will keep me busy for a bit... and possibly Traci as well (re-reading her books is always an option)... and I reckon by the time your book comes out, Helen, I prob also have to re-read as well as GFN [Gold Fish Memory] is hitting me hard these days (lol).

glad you both seem to like the idea of a virtual map... and I concur that it defo would be a challenge to the mapmakers (and technical developers)....

Also, I have always wanted the possibility of getting ebooks digitally signed... kinda like, buy the book in the (ebook) store. then get the option of sending it to the author's email addy with the request to please sign it (for a bit of extra dough?)... - you'd have some kind of digital sign-pad (as they have at banks or at e.g. vodafone shops to sign contracts or withdrawls) - so could sign one of the first pages with it... or would that be too much of a hassle for you guys/authors?I love my Kindle - but I also love having a version that's signed (and yes, currently I usually buy both (digital and physical) - which probably earns you guys more than some whimpy e-signature.... *laughs*)